Lees: More questions and answers

Gov. Tom Corbett addresses a joint session of the Pennsylvania House and Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, in Harrisburg, Pa. during the presentation of the state budget. Corbett said overhauling Pennsylvania's pension systems for state workers and school employees is the single most important thing lawmakers can do. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

I’ve used the question and answer format to address issues before. I thought it was time to use it again.

Do I get paid for this commentary?

No, I don’t. So those of you worried about the cost to the Times Herald budget can forget about it.

So why do it?

I do this column because I believe that the liberal/progressive message is one that needs to be presented to the Times Herald readership. While Montgomery County has voted reliably Democratic in Presidential elections for a while now, you could never tell it by looking at the Times Herald “Your Two Cents” comments. It was obvious to me that many readers of this newspaper live in a kind of 1950’s bubble that needs to have someone burst it from time to time. I know from watching voting patterns, talking to people, and e-mails I get that the majority of people who vote in presidential elections in Montgomery County think the way I do.

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Also, the old Finley Peter Dunne line about “… comforting the afflicted, and afflicting the comfortable” applies here. Those who are stuck in the 1950’s would benefit from hearing ideas that challenge the “groupspeak” that some of their like-minded friends engage in. Heaven knows “Your Two Cents” and online commentary challenges liberal groupspeak in the Times Herald almost every day. I’ve noticed the “Letters to the Editor” section doesn’t seem to have as much of a right wing slant. I assume this is because people are required to attach their names to their letters.

People who are appalled by some of the uncivil right-wing comments in “Your Two Cents” need to know that they have someone in their corner.

What’s the difference between writing a commentary on the opinion page of the Times Herald, being a reporter, and teaching a class?

I’ve addressed this before, but it’s clearly time to do it again. On the opinion page you are supposed to give your opinion about things – duh. If you are a reporter (which I’m not), it’s your job to report the facts. When you are teaching a history course you teach the facts about the history of, say, India (one the courses I presently teach), Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. You don’t editorialize. One my students this year asked me a few weeks ago if I supported Obama or Romney in the past election. I didn’t tell him. Notice he couldn’t tell even though I’ve taught him since September.

What is one of my best teachable moments? Someone, who just goes apoplectic every time I mention Paul Krugman’s name, asked me to explain what Keynesianism (which Krugman is an advocate of) means because he really didn’t understand it. When I explained, he said that that’s what Ronald Reagan did when he stimulated the economy with a lot of military spending. Bingo! It’s also what FDR did during the Great Depression (with social spending) and WWII (with military spending).

Do I have a brain?

Yes. And I like to thank the anonymous online commenter who said if I had half of a brain I’d be dangerous. There’s nothing like joining the debate with a sophisticated comment. I guess with a whole brain I must be doubly dangerous.

Who is the most worrisome politician in America today?

My choice is the new Republican Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz. One of my former students went to Princeton with Cruz. He said that Cruz is bright, but an extreme right-winger. Look for Cruz to try to institute a new era of McCarthyism in the USA.

What do I think of this “sequester” business? “Disaster” would be the first word that comes to mind. Cutting government spending as you are coming out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression is a really bad idea.

When will someone next try to address the substance of what I say when they disagree with me?

I don’t know. It’s only happened two or three times since I started this commentary in June 2010, so I’m not holding my breath. Snarky remarks are easy. Substantial comments are difficult.

What is the worst GOP idea lately? Well, aside from the leadership trying to destroy the New Deal and the Great Society (to keep the Koch brothers happy) and trying to rig future elections because they know people aren’t buying their out of date ideas, I guess Governor Corbett turning down $38 billion dollars in Federal aid to expand Medicaid over the next decade tops the list. 600,000 more Pennsylvanians would be covered if Governor Tom went along with Republican governors such as Rick Scott of Florida, Jan Brewer of Arizona, and John Kasich of Ohio, and accepted the money. Remember hospitals can’t turn people away thanks to a law signed by President Reagan.